The King and Queen hosted the official dinner and reception for Commonwealth Heads of Government this evening at Blue Waters, the five-star resort in Antigua and Barbuda where they have stayed during their five-day royal visit.
Charles wore black tie, while Camilla chose a white marocain evening dress embroidered with a Dagger Log, the national flower of Antigua, by Anna Valentine. She paired it with diamond and gold earrings and a gold necklace from her private collection.
Three-course menu with local produce
The specially crafted menu featured local seasonal produce, including locally grown avocados, freshly caught Mahi Mahi and the famous black Antiguan pineapple as a caramelised tarte tatin dessert. Wines from across the Commonwealth accompanied the meal, and guests were offered 'The Commonwealth 56' cocktail on arrival.
The cocktail, a spin on the French 75, included gin, sugar syrup, lemon juice and champagne, made with Antilles Stillhouse Pink Sorrel Hibiscus Gin, a sugar syrup from Buckingham Palace honey, and topped with English sparkling wine.
Table decorations included handmade seedwork mats using wild tamarind seeds, bright red-and-black jumble beads, and a ceramic shaped to reflect the remains of over 200 sugar mills across Antigua, topped with leaves of the Antiguan black pineapple. The King met Louise Edwards, known locally as 'Sexy Sue', on Monday at Agave Gardens, where he admired her seedwork, a centuries-old art form originating with enslaved African women.
Menu in full
- Starter: Salad of Avocado, Green Beans, Quails Eggs and Cherry Tomatoes with Pesto Dressing
- Main: Papillote of Mahi-Mahi, Local Herbs and Aromats in a Butter Sauce, Selection of Seasonal Vegetables, New Potatoes
- Dessert: Antiguan Black Pineapple Tarte Tatin with Vanilla Ice Cream
- End of dinner: Hand Painted Chocolates, Paddling Duck Bush Tea and Coffee
Place settings featured brightly coloured napkins made from madras cloth, the national fabric, with the menu tucked inside. Gold goblets were reserved for Heads of States, and small vases of locally picked flowers, including heliconias, ginger lilies and gorge ginger, were arranged with local foliage such as widdy widdy bush sprigs.
Seating and entertainment
Charles sat on table one, in the centre of the open-sided dining room, with an electric fan and a cushion, between the Antiguan and Barbuda Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, and the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo. Camilla sat on a nearby table, also with a cushion and tower fan, between Philips Davis, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, and Anthony Albanese of Australia.
The 84 guests were welcomed by steel pan players, and the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Sympathy Orchestra played during the reception. At the end of the evening, two pipers and a drummer from the National Piping Centre in Glasgow were scheduled to play.
Earlier on Tuesday, the King said the slave trade "fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow" in his opening address at CHOGM. He did not offer an apology, instead saying "we can learn from the past" and reminding delegates that the Royal Navy played a key role in the abolition of slavery.
Tomorrow, the King and Queen will fly back to London before attending Remembrance events over the weekend.
